Prince Charles warns of catastrophe caused by increase in Alzheimer's

The Prince of Wales has warned about the potential "catastrophic" effect of the increase in Alzheimer's Disease because of the rapidly ageing population.

Prince Charles said that 700,000 people in the United Kingdom lived in hope for an effective treatment for their dementiaPhoto: GETTY

By Andrew Pierce

1:25PM GMT 16 Mar 2009

He talked of the "devastation" to families who had to watch someone they love "slip away" and urged the scientific community to redouble its efforts to find a cure for the disease.

His first major intervention on Alzheimer's came in a written statement to more than 200 scientists gathered in London for the Alzheimer's Research Trust's 10th conference at the Royal Institution of Great Britain in London on Thursday and Friday. It's the largest gathering of scientists working in the dementia field in the UK.

Experts have hailed the event as "a unique step forward on the path towards a future cure" for a condition that affects 700,000 people in the UK and over 26 million worldwide. The number of people living with dementia in Britain has been estimated to rise to a million in the next 15 years.

The Prince wrote: "I am more than conscious of the enormous effect that dementia has on people's lives and the lives of those who care for them. Sadly, dementia will have an even greater impact as, in the future, the risk of dementia increases as people live longer, and the emotional, social and economic burden we all will face if this threat is left unchecked will be catastrophic.

"I thoroughly commend the work of the Alzheimer's Research Trust, and the scientists it funds, in our common battle against the bleak outlook posed by dementia. By funding research into the disease, the charity is offering hope now and for the future. A cure remains the ultimate target for research, but steps forward with diagnosis, effective treatments and a better knowledge of how our ways of life affect the risk of dementia will be important.

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"I would also like to congratulate the Alzheimer's Research Trust and its supporters on their mission to lift the shroud of mystery that has long surrounded dementia. There has been a welcome and necessary shift in the last few years towards a willingness to discuss dementia."

The Prince said that 700,000 people in the United Kingdom lived in hope for an effective treatment for their dementia. "Surrounding them are those who face the devastation of watching their family and friends slip away before their eyes. This is why the continued work of the Alzheimer's Research Trust and the scientists the charity funds are so very important ."

His remarks came as a survey of care homes specialising in dementia concluded that staff were not trained adequately. The statistics were released by Laing Buisson market survey ahead of a parliamentary inquiry into the skills of the dementia workforce. An All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Dementia is an inquiry into whether social care staff are being equipped with the right dementia skills.

Jeremy Wright, Chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Dementia said: "These figures confirm the importance of our inquiry. Everyone has the right to know they are entrusting people they love into good quality care. Sadly this is not always the reality."